


Prisoner.

by EmmyGreene



Series: Little Things. [16]
Category: The Walking Dead & Related Fandoms, The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fear, Love, Other, True Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-09
Updated: 2017-05-09
Packaged: 2018-10-29 19:41:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10860735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmmyGreene/pseuds/EmmyGreene
Summary: Beth watches as Negan parades Daryl around Alexandria.





	Prisoner.

**Author's Note:**

> OK this whole series is starting to feel a bit stale to me, I've got about two more stories planned for now and then I'm going to give it a break for a while. It's sort of hard to not tie it into the plot at the moment and I'm actually not enjoying that, I really want to get back to just cute moments between the two of them!

Beth couldn’t help but gasp as she looked out the window and saw him. At first she was relieved, he was alive, he was breathing, walking and here in front of her but then she looked closer and took it all in. She’d seen him look rough before, had seen all of them covered in scars and bruises but this was something else, it was heart breaking to see him as a captive, looking like this. He kept his face down on the ground as he followed who she could only assume was Negan around Alexandria.

Years ago she’d watched him from the window of her farm house, her little girl bedroom that was everything nice about her childhood. She’d sat there in her window and watched him as he separated himself from the rest of the group and just like now. Only then she was scared _of_ him, not for him. She held Judith tighter against her. ‘Da-yl’ the toddler said.

‘That’s right’ Beth put on a fake cheery voice, he’s come here to visit. We have to leave the house because he’s new friends are going to look around.’ She couldn’t help but wonder at what point you were supposed to stop lying to children and telling them everything was OK. Beth was terrified or this man, these people but she didn’t want to pass that fear onto Judith. They’d walked down the street demanding everyone get out, that they were taking what they wanted so she was going to comply and hopefully let Judith think it was the most normal thing in the world. She carried her down the stairs only to be greeted by Aaron in the kitchen, Eric at his side.

‘We’re not sure you should go out there’ Aaron said.

‘Negan’ Eric could hardly get the name out of his mouth, ‘He doesn’t know about you, doesn’t know Daryl has anyone. He taunted Rosita, just spoke about your sister... we’re worried he’d do something to you to taunt Daryl.’

‘I, I have to see him’ she breathed.

‘They aren’t letting us talk to him, made that very clear.’ Aaron said. His face was sympathetic .

‘But I can look at him, let him see me?’ she said quietly.

Eric shrugged ‘You don’t want to do anything to let Negan think you are anything but another member of the community to Daryl.’

She nodded, ‘I can do that. I just, I just want to see him’.

Eric reached out for Judith ‘I’ll take her. You’ll stand out with the only baby left in the world.’

Aaron and Eric gave Beth a quick once over. She was wearing a dainty pink tank top with lace around the edges and figure hugging jeans with her cowboy boots. She looked cute, too cute and with her blonde hair she stood out anyway.

‘Go and put a sweater on’ Aaron said gently ‘something dull, you need to blend in’.

Beth nodded and headed back to their room.

She closed her eyes for a moment and tried to compose herself. Any of the worry she was feeling, the pain she’d felt since Glenn’s passing and the concern for Maggie, she didn’t want Daryl to see any of that. She wanted to show him only the best of her. She fished through the wardrobe and found a gray flannel shirt. It had been in a box of clothes for Daryl but after he slept in it once, she’d claimed it. She liked to sleep in it and he’d told her he liked how she looked comfortable in it. She slipped her arms through it. Dark and gray, she’d look like all the other drab members of Alexandria. She grabbed a beanie as well, suddenly self conscious about the bullet wound on her forehead. She used the hat to cover it up then headed back down stairs.

‘OK, he’s over near the armoury’ Aaron said. ‘Eric’s going to take Judith in the stroller and walk her around, keep her out of the way. You’re going to walk with me. We’re umm, we’re going to hold hands and look like maybe we’re together, just to...’ he seemed awkward.

‘Good diversion’ she said. And to be honest, she was grateful she’d have something to hold onto.

They split paths when they left the house.

‘You Ok?’ Aaron asked as they headed in the direction of Negan and an armed group of his people.

‘I need to do this.’ She said.

She focused on her breathing, kept her face aimed straight ahead. He came into view but they weren’t in his line of sight yet.

Slowly they walked forward, planning to walk past the armoury and onto the Church, that’s the path Aaron had suggested. It would give them somewhere to regroup.

Finally she shifted her head, Negan was inside and Daryl was on the street, surrounded by people but his head still firmly down.

‘Look up’ she pleaded internally and as though he heard he looked up just then.

She gave him the slightest nod and hoped that in her eyes he saw all the love she was trying to send him. He put his head back down but tried to keep his eyes on her, for a moment.

She could feel her palms were sweaty so she clutched tighter to Aaron’s hand as they walked away. Inside the church she collapsed onto a pew.

‘We have to get him out of there.’ Beth said.

‘I don’t think that’s up to us right now’ Aaron said sitting beside her. ‘You did good.’

‘He came into an armed hospital and saved me. I need to do the same for him’ she replied.

‘We’ll talk to Rick, we’ll come up with something. Daryl, he’s smart, I think he’s just playing the game’ Aaron said.

Beth nodded ‘I hope so. He takes everything to heart through, he shouldn’t be apart from us after something like that night.’

Aaron sighed. Rosita had come to Beth and told her the whole story. She didn’t blame Daryl, none of them did, but they knew him enough to know that he would.

‘He’ll be OK’ Aaron said.

Beth nodded ‘I know. He always is.’

**Author's Note:**

> As always, I'd love it if you left a comment :)


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